Taste | Changbin

Chapter Thirty-Six

The second time that Lennon woke up, it wasn't willingly. She had been peacefully sleeping on Changbin's chest before she was shoved to the floor. Her limp body crashed to the carpet and she jerked her head up at once. 

Changbin stretched his arms above his head and let out a yawn. She sat up and crossed her arms over her chest. He blinked a few times before he glanced over at her. "Oh shit, did I knock you off the bed?" 

"Glad you finally noticed." 

"Shit, I didn't mean to! I'm sorry, I rolled and I wasn't expecting you to be there. I forgot you were on top of me. I'm not used to sharing a bed with someone." 

Lennon forced herself to her feet. "It's whatever, we had to get up anyway. I'm sure it's almost time for your soundcheck. Who took off the handcuffs?" 

Changbin shrugged, "I don't know, but it wasn't me. Someone must have taken them off while we were sleeping." 

Lennon dropped her head back and groaned. "Now, we're going to have to deal with their bickering. They're never going to let us forget this." 

"They don't know that we made up." 

Lennon shot him a glare. 

"Okay, so they don't know that I'm in the process of making things up to you. Who said we had to get along in front of them? I know you're still potentially pissed at me for my actions." 

"There is no potential, I still am." 

"Okay, so let's go back to arguing with each other. Maybe we don't let them know that we're on speaking terms. Let's continue arguing with each other." 

Lennon's face fell, "are you sure? I don't know if that's such a good idea. I mean, I know it won't be real but..." 

"Do you trust me?" Changbin pushed himself off the bed. He took a few steps towards Lennon. His fingers wrapped around her waist as he pulled her body closer to his own. He was taller than her by a few inches, so she had to look up to face him. Blush instantly crept across her cheeks. 

"Honestly, I don't know." 

"I promise that nothing bad will happen. Besides, I don't want to see Felix's shit-eating grin about this. Han will never stop bragging that he played a hand in helping the two of us get together." 

"I suppose we could try it." 

"And if you don't like it, we can stop, okay?" 

"Okay." 

Without warning, one of his hands cupped the side of Lennon's face. He lightly brushed his thumb over her lips. Mesmerized by what was happening, Lennon couldn't breathe. He sucked the air out of her lungs. She had a boyfriend before, of course she had, but nobody made her feel like this. 

It was like standing on the edge of a rocky cliff with her arms spread out. Foamy white water tugged and pulled, once dark blue, waves along the bottom of the cliff. All she had to do was step off and she'd be free falling. Adrenaline pumped through her body. 

It was dizzying, the whole thing. A part of her brain was screaming at her to stop. Thunder rumbled behind her as a warning. Wind swept her hair off her shoulders. She shouldn't do this; falling in love with Seo Changbin was dangerous. 

His anger was a brute force; red-hot and scalding. The type where he impulsively spewed out insults before thinking about them. His sharpened tongue was like a knife. He knew exactly how deep his words cut. He was the type of person that people like Lennon should stay far away from. 

She was too soft, too hurt, too vulnerable, but what's life without a little bit of danger? Life is full of mistakes and regrets. It's full of pain and misery and daring decisions; but it's also filled with hope. When you make a reckless and impulsive decision, you clutch onto the hope that everything will work out in your favor. 

And that's exactly what she did, she chose hope. 

Changbin removed his thumb from her lips. He gently pulled her face towards his own. She slightly turned her head. Their lips connected and once more butterflies erupted in Lennon's stomach. The alarm bells in her head stopped at once. How could this be dangerous? 

Changbin pulled away after a few seconds. "So can we be friends?" 

"Friends?" Lennon's heart dropped. She searched his face for any signs of reconsideration. Had those kisses meant nothing? Had everything meant nothing, before it even began?

"For now. At least, until you're not pissed at me and I can prove that you can trust me. Maybe a few days after fooling the guys, we can reconsider this conversation?" 

Feeling slightly foolish, Lennon took a step back. "Yeah, um..." She cleared her throat. "That sounds good, we'll give it a few days." 

A smile appeared on Changbin's face. "I guess until that happens, I hate you." 

"I hate you too." 

"Should we start screaming at each other and see if one of the members comes to stop us?" 

"Well," Lennon shrugged, "if you insist." 

Changbin chuckled at the sight of her. Her eyes still sparkled from their kiss. Her smile seemed to stretch a little wider across her face. A dimple, he had never noticed before, appeared on her left cheek. "Whenever you're ready, I'll let you start." 

Lennon grinned. Deep down, she knew this was insane. She had just been fighting with this guy less than twelve hours ago and yet here she was; jumping off the side of that cliff. Free falling down, down, down into the foamy water below. 

Unfortunately, hope is a dangerous thing for a woman to have.